Curves

Angie

I just joined Curves last week and I absolutely love it. I love that you change machines every few mins and the 3o min workout goes by so fast. I can really feel it working. I am shy and dont talk much, just listen so it doesnt matter to be if anyone is being clique-ish. I am there to work out and lose weight and its working. I can see my self sticking with this. I also like the fact that you put your name in a jar everytime you work out 3 times a week (and again if you work out 5 days), then they draw names and you win things. I dont know if all locations do this, but its a fun idea.

Denise

Unbelievable........how could you possibly never work up a sweat?! Obviously you're not trying very hard! You get out of it what you put in to it. One good way to keep your heart rate up is to increase your jogging in place between stations. I'm not overweight or out of shape and I can work up a sweat, get my heart rate up and keep it up - I make that choice. I think Curves is awesome. The women only idea is great...no oggling men and the whole atmosphere is very supportive, whether you are there to lose weight, tone up, or both. Maybe the real issue is your negative attitude.

bosslady

I cannot believe the negative comments! I've worked out at Curves for 5 years and have lost 40 pounds(in the first year) and have maintained 20% body fat since then. Curves are indepentently owned, so it does vary from franchise to franchise, find one that suits you. Has anyone tried the advanced workout? It still kicks my butt every other day. The harder you workout, the stronger you get-you can NEVER out grow the Curves workout. I suggest you ask the owner about the coaches level of training. At my club two of the three employees are college accredited for fitness and diet classes. It's the best place for a 30 minute workout for your enitre body.

anonymous

I quickly skimmed a lot of the comments, but I did not see anything about Curves Smart, their new program. I would agree with many of the women above that you get what you put into it, and many women don't seem to put that much into it. But I also agree that even THAT much put into it is great for many women, and I hate to see their efforts disparaged! That aside, to those who say it's not a real work out--go back and try again, this time with the Curves Smart system. The resistance is NOT the same for every women, it is based on your total strength. Working out at only 65% of that (and that's not the highest program) is way harder than jogging a few miles for me, and certainly harder than what I did at Curves before. I love to hike and bike and speed walk, but this is by far more challenging than any of that, unless we're talking about a hike with a steep-ish 2000+ foot altitude gain... For people in top shape, or body builders--um, no, you will probably not be challenged. But for physically fit women who want a quick and decent cardio and strength training workout--try it again.

noni

I've been working out at Curves four years this month. I joined at the age of 57, disgusted with my weight and lack of fitness. my first 8 months I lost 20 lbs and 21 inches without doing anything but going 3 x a week. I actually wanted to go! staff at the 1st Curves I joined were pretty well trained and were required to be out on the floor with the clients. the Curves I'm with now is different, not well staffed but I am determined to keep my muscles and my bones. at 61, I am still very active and have lost another 17 lbs this spring. All Curves are independently owned. I feel healthier now than I did 15 years ago. You can make it work for you or not. Won't recommend it for a young girl who isn't really overweight. There are so many who are and don't want to work out in front of guys. I have never stuck with anything before curves.

noha

i have a question...im 20 years old, and im very thin, actually a few punds underweight, so i'm not interested in losing weight, i just want to get reaaallly toned up..as in have great abs and sculpted legs and arms...i just want to really get in shape..will joining curves do that? or do i need a regular gym with weights and all?..wen i went to visit, i noticed most women there were older and more interested in losing weight... please help me on this! thanx :)

Curves 4 Life

You don't sign a contract but you can sign an agreement for 1 year in order to take advantage of a $10 a month savings but in the event you must cancel your membership you're not charged more than $50 for the rest of your agreement period which other clubs cannot claim as they continue to charge the monthly fee throughout the duration of the contractual agreement. The Curves trainers do not receive extensive training but the equipment is not difficult to learn and the rest just comes over time (working there every day helps). The trainers are there to remind you of proper form and motivation as well as a friendly woman to talk to. So what if you're socializing while you're working out. Most of the gyms I've ever gone to were nothing but meet and greets anyway. The employees at Curves are the same women who join Curves thereby helping the motivation factor in addition to keeping Curves a comfortable place for women to work out. Curves provides a total body work out complete with cardio and strength training via hydraulics followed by stretching which is all done in 30 minutes. Nobody needs to spend more than 30 minutes exercising a day. Most women can only afford to fit 30 minutes for exercise in their daily routines. Many insurance companies cover a Curves membership as well and you can more than likely find a Curves near your home or place of work. This is not rocket science - you're getting the safest work out and everyone knows that exercise is good for you and where else can "real" women feel comfortable than at Curves? When I've gone to other gyms, I wasn't helped at all much less concerned with my heart rate throughout my work out plus I spent more time than was necessary working on machines I knew little about. Talk about a waste of time.

tricia

I signed a 1 year contract, gave it 6 months.You have to do more than what they offer to get in shape. It's more of a social club than serious weight loss even some of the trainers are fat. I was forced to stay a member when I decided to quit. They said I had to pay double to quit so now I stayed a member and never go.I feel I was scamed.

Del

LOVE IT--also do additional cardio on my own--My Aetna insurance makes it really affordable--some other insurances cover it too so be sure to check it out.

Suzy

I was thinking about joining but since I ready all the comments, and you have to sign a 2 year contract, I have changed my mind.

MJ

I am still new at Curves, going on my third week. I am already seeing results, however in addition to my Curves workout I walk/jog on the days I do not go to Curves. Also, you really need to change your eating habits, as the old rule of calories in/calories out still applies no matter how many hours you work out. I agree with the comments about Curves having that social club environment and I’d like to add that at the particular Curves I go to, there is a group of women who act like its 1980 again, and we are back in high school gym class with their jock-girl attitudes. I say that if you encounter any jock-girls or social butterflies, just ignore them. I had one woman actually follow me around the circuit trying to strike up conversation about my personal life but I just answered with her with “uh-huh” a couple of times and she stopped. I am all for camaraderie but it has to be in the right time and place, and weight training is not one of them. I believe that this is one time where individuality overrules team spirit, and I feel that my workout will not and should not be compared to others. I like going to Curves and will continue to go but my goal there is not to make “friends” as I already have plenty of them. My goals at Curves are to improve my health by losing weight and improving my health.

barb

I have wanted to join curves for a couple of years now,but like many women we usually say i will join next week,or the week after that,i finally joined,i have been there for about a month and a half now. I feel so good about myself and i have so much energy. I lost 6.25 lbs and 8.75 inches in one month,words can't explain how i felt when they told me how much i lost. Well ladies i just have one thing to say....Join it's so addicting,and so much fun,and even better it only takes just 30 minutes of your day,and you will feel so energized for the rest of the day.

Darlene

I want to join but does anyone know if they have daycare? I have an 8 month old that I need babysitting for. Some of the other gyms offer that.

jill

i love curves in less than i month i went from 125 pounds to 118.2 pounds just with 3 30 minute workouts a week i recommend it to anyone... i feel better and sleep better i just love it!!!!

sine nomine

i recently joined, and i'm pretty happy with it. i like that the workout is a no-brainer. i just have to go around the circuit two or three times, and i'm done. and since i'm doing the same thing every time, it's easier to see my progress -- it gets harder to keep my heart rate up and i can do more reps. having other people there doing the same thing helps me work harder, too. you fall into a rhythm. as far as people who seem not t o be doing much, don't judge. i'm someone who might seem to be slacking, but i'm not. i'm *really* out of shape, and what might look like an easy workout to you is keeping my heart rate at 80-85% of max. that's another thing i like; the curves i go to has people at all fitness levels and no one seems to pay much attention to who's working how hard. to me, curves is a safefriendly place to do something good for myself. (and according to my heart rate watch, i'm burning around 330 calories in each half hour. even more important, i'm building aerobic capacity).

amy

Do they allow children there and do they have a place for children to play.

Anonymous

I was a member of Curves until we purchased our own exercise equipment (which we DO use). It was a good experience, and to answer a couple of questions: pretty much everything in a Curves depends on the franchise owners. Our Curves taliored their hours to the traffic flow in our area. They open up at 5:30 and stay open until 7 at night. They are open a half day on Saturday and are closed on Sunday- usually. Also, I used to go around the circuit at least three times, to really feel like I had worked out. So, again, it depends on the franchise you go to. There are so many now that it shouldn't be a problem for those who live in urban or suburban areas. I live in a rural area and my only other choice was a co-ed gym where only the young and tight were pandered to. The rest of us were ignored and the machines were NOT user friendly, meaning they were too big for most women and were generally in bad repair. Now we have our own treadmill and weights, so I work out at home.

Q

I joined Curves and stayed a member for a year (because of the contract) then I terminated my membership. I loved the overall concept but the hours suck. They dont open till 7 (I'm on my way to work by then) they are closed on Sundays, they close early on Wednesdays and on Saturdays the hours are very limited. This made it hard to get my money's worth. I quit and joined Snap Fitness - I love it and it's open 24 hours a day - every day! and NO contracts - its month to month...

anonymous

I have a question on weather as a curves member you can complete the circuit more than twice if you are wanting a longer workout and want to challenge yourself more. I was told 2 different things form 2 different tec`s and I`m confused.

Janell

I love this place. I went in to this thinking it was going to be so easy, and realized if you go in there and really work the machines, you can get a great workout. I've only been a member a few weeks, but I can't wait to go the next day. I go five days a week, and I feel so good when I leave. I only have 15 pounds to lose, but will be a member forever, cause it's so fun. It is what you make it. If you go in with a negative attitute, you get what you expect. Don't let the "debbie downers" or "negative nancys" bring you down!!! Try it, you'll love it.